


Pidge is (Still) a Girl

by Saasan



Series: Pidge is a Girl and Lance is a Dork [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Angst and Fluff and Smut, Background Relationships, Canon Compliant, Explicit Consent, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Insecurity, Kinks, M/M, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Post-Season/Series 04, Praise Kink, Semi-Public Sex, Smut, Swearing, There is more than just smut in here I swear, Vaginal Fingering, drunk!Lance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-08
Updated: 2018-01-22
Packaged: 2019-03-01 23:34:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13305696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saasan/pseuds/Saasan
Summary: Three months into their relationship, Pidge is beginning to realize that Lance seeing her as agirlhas some side effects.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the sequel of Pidge is a Girl. I was going to post this all at once, but I didn't want to keep y'all waiting and it looks like this one will be longer than the original. This time the story is from Pidge's perspective. Hold onto your seats for extra Angst & Insecurities! And then probably too much smut. They're teenagers--give 'em a break. Well, Lance is 20, but it's his first girlfriend. They're horny.
> 
> Again, sorry to anyone who was hoping for the explicit content to be Sheith. That's just background stuff. Don't know if I should even have tagged that (or Shunk. Shank?).

Lance peered around the edge of the hall, scanning the perimeter. The Galra patrol was gone. He triple-checked his watch. Pidge was late. He chewed his lip, fighting panic. The coms were down—which was part of the plan—and she wasn't _that_ late. Yet. But she was late. And Pidge was never late. He took a deep breath to steady himself and raised his bayard. He counted to ten slowly, swallowed hard, and took a step forward into the hall.

“ _There_ you are,” Pidge hissed, yanking him back and covering his mouth to muffle his yelp of surprise. “Where were you going? Why are you even over here?!”

Lance immediately enveloped her in a tight hug. “You were late,” he whispered. “I was going to look for you.”

Pidge looked both puzzled and exasperated. “Look for me over there? Lance, we were supposed to rendezvous on the starboard side, third hanger. Which is that way,” she added, pointing in the opposite direction.

“Are...are you sure?” Lance said, confused and sheepish.

“Absolutely positive,” Pidge said firmly.

Lance gripped her tightly again. “I'm sorry,” he said in a tiny voice. “I messed up.”

Pidge shook her head and gently pushed him away. “It's fine, Lance. You disabled the barrier and I got information I need. Let's get back to Green.” The Lion might be cloaked and the outpost lightly guarded, but Pidge didn't want to stick around any longer than necessary. Mission accomplished, the two Paladins slunk away and were soon safely on their way back to the Castle.

Pidge did her best to comfort Lance on the flight home. He sat at her feet between her knees, head resting against her leg, and she gently ran her hand through his hair. He muttered something about being stupid which she protested and reminded him mistakes happen and that Galra ships and buildings weren't laid out the same way as many other space vessels. It helped him some. But, it just highlighted a growing concern she had for him. Lance might be silly and he might be oblivious, but he wasn’t stupid (not this kind of stupid, anyway—just Ricardo stupid) and this wasn’t the first time he’d done something like this, either. One time, sure. Two times, maybe. But five mistakes, in the _past three months_? Ever since they started dating, Lance couldn't keep his head during a mission.

As flattered as she might be to have Lance consider her distracting, she guessed the truth was that he thought she was fragile. It was bit insulting. And in a way, it was her fault. After she’d explain the reason why she was on birth control (a precaution against pregnancy in the event of Galra capture/torture), he had become obsessed with the idea of keeping her safe. She’d considered pointing out that it was just as possible for him to get raped, too, but she concluded that would not help reassure him about her own safety (or his). But that was just it. It's not that she was in danger: they were _all_ in danger. That’s the price you pay for leading a rebellion. The only thing that had changed was that Lance had realized she was not just female, but a _girl_.

“When we get back, I’ll tell Shiro not to put me on anymore missions,” Lance said quietly.

“What?! Why would you do that!” Pidge cried.

Lance shifted uncomfortably. “I almost blew the mission, Pidge. If you hadn’t found me when you did, it could have been a disaster.”

Pidge grabbed Lance’s face with both her hands tilted his head up to look at her. “You listen here, Mr. McClain. The mission was a success _because of you_. We couldn’t use our coms, but it didn’t matter because I _knew_ you would have the barrier disabled in time, and I was right. I totally get why you’re upset, but believe me: you were an asset not a hindrance, okay?”

Lance sighed and leaned into Pidge's leg. “I know you mean that,” he said. “But I can't keep messing up like this.”

Pidge bit her lip and blinked back tears, more angry than sad, angry because he was right and angry because he was still so wrong. “Talk to Shiro, but don't ask to be taken off, okay? Just talk to him. Believe in the Pidge who believes in you, okay?”

Lance nodded, looking resigned, not comforted, but he chuckled. “You're kind of amazing, Pidge.”

“You bet your ass I am,” she grinned gently and Lance chuckled again. He pulled her down to kiss her. She kissed back and felt the smile on his lips.

“I guess I can't be _that_ bad if I have such an amazing girlfriend, right?”

“I dunno. I might have terrible taste in men,” Pidge pointed out. She was thrilled that much of the sadness had left his face and they were back to teasing each other.

“Hey! Don't put down your taste like that! You like that Ricardo fellow, and he's handsome as hell.”

“Yeah, but he tells terrible jokes,” she grinned.

“I take it back. You're a terrible girlfriend. Super mean,” Lance pouted.

And they both laughed.

 

 

~*~*~

 

 

Lance was in a much better mood by the time Green landed safely in the Castle. Pidge was grateful that his down moods never lasted very long—which was not to say she didn't take his hurt seriously, but he had a natural buoyancy of spirit that served him well and contributed to overall morale of the Paladins as a whole. It was just one of the many things she loved about him. It was also one of the reasons she was concerned right now. And slightly pissed. Slightly. Lance's moods were dipping more and more frequently. Even if it was just a side effect of his worry (and affection), did he really think she was _that_ fragile? She could (and frequently did) kick his ass at pretty much anything—not to mention she was a tech wiz and hacking genius. She was very, very happy that he cared about her so much, but if dating Pidge meant Lance lost his faith in her...well, that sucked. He used to rely on her as an equal team member. Now? Now even simple missions sent him into a panic that rendered him both dispirited and reckless.

They were very different people, Pidge reflected. She was logical and he was emotional. In some ways it balanced them, but it also made it difficult to understand how to help him (and to keep from feeling insulted—which in itself frustrated her because she _knew_ that was immature response and she wanted to be better than that).

Pidge decided to seek out the other emotionally-driven Paladin: Keith. Luckily, he was at the Castle at the moment so after checking with Shiro (and pointedly leaving Lance with him so they could talk) she went to knock on his door.

“Keith, can I talk to you about something?” she asked him when he opened the door.

“Sure. What’s up?” he said, welcoming her into the room.

“Ever since Lance and I started dating, he’s been weird. And yes, I know he’s always weird, but he’s been weirder. On missions,” she added and rolled her eyes at Keith’s expression. “It’s like he’s distracted. I know he’s worried about me, and I’m worried about him, but… he can’t focus anymore.”

Keith nodded. “It’s hard knowing the person you love is in danger.”

“So, my question is: how do you deal with it?”  
“Well, the first time I lost Shiro, I got kicked out of the garrison. The second time I lost Shiro, I nearly got us all killed with all my reckless decisions. The third time I *almost* lost Shiro, the only reason I didn’t kill myself is because Lotor showed up before I could fly into that Galra ship. So, I might not be the best person to ask, Pidge,” Keith said with a gentle amusement.

“That’s _why_ I’m asking you. You haven’t done anything like that for a while—are you controlling yourself better or what?”

“Shiro and I had a long talk. A lot of long talks, actually,” Keith explained. “It…helped,” he admitted, “but if it really came down to it, I’d still probably abandon everything to run after him. Logically, we all know we’re at war and so death is a constant risk and—let’s face it—all of us Paladins are about the best equipped to fight and escape the Galra so we should keep fighting, but hearts don’t run on logic.”  
Pidge’s shoulders sagged. “Then what do I do to help him? He knows I’m a great pilot, a good fighter, and a tech genius, but his heart just doesn’t care? Can’t I help him trust me that I can keep myself safe?”

Keith placed on a hand on her shoulder. “It’s not about that kind of trust, Pidge. It’s about reassurance. Just keep reminding him you love him, he’s important to you, and you’ll always do whatever you can to come home safe. And believe him when he tells you the same, okay? He doesn’t doubt that you’re strong. He’s scared that he’s weak.”

Pidge nodded thoughtfully. As much as Lance was an over-brimming force of confidence, he still had insecurities he struggled with, and now he had a new worry: her. “Thanks, Keith. You’ve given me a lot to think about and I really appreciate it.”

Keith pulled her in for a hug. “Anytime, Pidge.”

She hugged him back. Keith was a bit more touchy-feely now that he was dating Shiro. It was cute. “I really want to understand him. He's way more emotional than me, you know?”

Keith pulled back and looked at her with exasperated amusement. “You're one to talk. Do you remember just how many times we had to rein you in when you were trying to track down your dad and Matt?”

Oh. Right. It had seemed like the logical choice to her at the time—whenever a new clue on the whereabouts of her family appeared, it was logical to track it down immediately, because who knew how long that information would stay accurate, and who knew what kind of danger they were danger? It made _sense_ to act right then, no matter the cost. It was also selfish, putting her family (two people) over the rest of the crew, Paladin's mission, and the rebellion as a whole (the safety and freedom of every person in the known universe). Maybe she wasn't as logically driven after all. She blushed a bit at the revelation and decided to change the subject.

“Are you staying in your room or Shiro’s tonight?”

“Does it matter…?” Keith asked with a slight blush.

Pidge shrugged. “I’ll just stay in Lance’s room either way, I guess. You two have fun,” she said with a smile. “Have a good evening!”

“What are you trying to say?” Keith said slowly. “Wait, Pidge, are you saying we’re loud?!”

“You kids have fun,” Pidge repeated with a grin.

“Oh my god. I am SO sorry,” Keith said, mortified, as the color drained from his face.

“It’s fine. I’ve learned a lot. And I don’t mind leaving to work on Galra tech stuff when the walls start shaking,” Pidge said with a straight face. Shiro wouldn’t be able to look at her for a week after this, she laughed to herself.

Keith groaned. “Were you even 16 yet when we first got together?”

Pidge lightly punched his shoulder. “Please tell me about the look on Shiro’s face when you tell him. And don’t worry about it too much. It gave me a great project to work on—noise blocking. I had a lot of fun testing it. Always happy to have an excuse to make explosions!” She paused before adding. “Didn’t imagine you as a top, though. Good for you guys, switching it up.” She tried her best to keep a serious expression but honestly hadn't had this much fun teasing someone in a long time. “Anyway, I’ll be in Lance’s room tonight so don’t hold back. Have a good evening!” she said and left the room before Keith could see her laughing.

 

 

~*~*~

 

 

Pidge pondered Keith's advice as she headed to her room. She and Lance kept their things in their own rooms—despite sleeping in each others' beds every night—because she was not about to move perfectly good robot parts to make room for his lotions and he couldn't make up his mind about which creams to move in the first place, so they “commuted” between their rooms as needed. She stopped to change into her pajamas.

So, maybe it wasn't that he didn't have faith in her, but in himself. That made a lot of sense. But it also brought up something she had been trying very had not to think about: maybe, he didn't have faith in _them_.

They'd had a strange start to their relationship. Pidge had fallen for Lance slowly, long before he even considered her a viable romantic partner. Lance had practically tripped headfirst into his attraction for her, and then they had gone from friends to dating to lovers in less than a day. She didn’t regret it. It _did_ make it hard for her to determine what as “normal” for a relationship, though. Maybe that wasn’t fair. Nothing had been normal since Kerberos.

As she tossed the day's clothes into the laundry drawer (thank you, Castle, for your automatic cleaning, may you never be taken for granted), she glanced to her bed. Paladin stood guard, the lovable and misshapen half-lion they had won on their first date. The daises he had drawn for her were still pinned up and the Ricardo poster hung unabashedly over it all. She smiled. Lance had signed it at some point—the goof—and she wouldn't dare admit it but that was just about the cutest thing he'd ever done. She truly did love that dork.

Love. She ran her hands through her hair and sighed. I love you. Lance had said the all important phrase once, but she didn’t think saying it in a blissed out, post-coital state counted for too much if you’d never said it before (or since), but it was still nice. She treasured it. She’d never said it, though. She knew Lance would be infinitely thrilled to hear her say it, and it wasn’t like she didn’t feel it, but she was still insecure about their relationship. Lance liked her. He was serious about her. And yet, it was hard for her to ignore both how recent his feelings were and how easy it was for his feelings to transfer from one girl to the next. Still… If she didn’t feel ready to _say_ it yet, she could _show_ him.

 _It’s not about trust; it’s about reassurance_ , Pidge thought to herself as she started toward Lance's room. She began to form an idea. This time, she’d be the one to take him on a date. Very satisfied with herself, Pidge opened the door to Lance’s room and was surprised to see him sitting on the bed, completely naked, dick in his hand. He looked guilty. Incredibly guilty.

“Uh, hi Lance. What’s up? Other than your dick,” she said.

“Hi. I didn’t think you’d be back so soon,” he squeaked, grabbing a pillow to hide his erection.

“What’s going on?” she said as she arched an eyebrow and crossed her arms. Why was he hiding his hard on? It’s not like she cared if he masturbated. Well, she cared a little bit—he seriously couldn’t wait a few extra minutes until she got there? Oh—maybe he was masturbating _to_ something that made him look guilty. A hint of uneasy jealousy rolled in her gut and she ignored it.

“I just wanted to get one out of the way first,” Lance said, looking downright ashamed.

“‘Out of the way’? Why?” she frowned. He better not think orgasms were a chore. That would be a weird and very awkward talk to have.

“I just…I want to make sure I last long enough for you,” he whispered.

“Oh, Lance. Did I do something to make you think you don’t satisfy me? You do! Trust me, Lance, you’re great,” she insisted earnestly.

He looked incredibly sheepish. “You only talk about my fingers.”

She sighed but smiled and crawled onto his lap. It tugged at her heart, realizing the depth of Lance's insecurities. _Reassurance_. “Lance, I love everything you to do me. Seriously, everything. I mean it as no insult to your dick when I say your fingers are incredible. I mean, look at these things!” she said, picking up his hand and shaking it slightly. “Long and strong! All that gaming paid off—you’ve got dexterity and stamina and it. Is. Amazing. Okay?” She leaned forward until her forehead was resting on his. “You can always jerk off if you want to, but never feel like you _need_ to.”

Lance wrapped his arms around her and she hugged him back.

“Feel better?”

He nodded.

“Feel like showing me what you were imaging a minute ago?” she teased with a coy grin.

Lance flushed immediately, unbelievably red from both arousal and embarrassment. He pressed in to kiss her. She kissed back, pulling the pillow away so she could grind against him. That seemed to flip a switch and desire flamed in his eyes.

“I wanna eat you out so bad, baby. I love the way you taste and you get so wet for me. You’re so good to me, baby. Wanna make you feel so good,” Lance babbled as he eagerly helped her pull off her clothes, kissing each new patch of uncovered skin as it appeared. He pushed her onto the bed and kissed down her thighs and legs as he tugged off her panties. “You look so good, baby. Look at you, spreading out for me.” He was already between her legs, nibbling briefly at the base of her thigh before lapping greedily into her. She could feel his hot breath on her, rolling in quick pants. She moaned. He continued licking deep, filling her with moans and tongue as he loved to do. Something was a little different this time, though. Usually he would have started touching her by now, either her clit or nipples. It was hard to keep her eyes open to watch him, but she was curious and lifted her head. He had one hand gripping tightly into her hip and the other was tucked underneath him… he was stroking himself. She shuddered. It was beautiful to watch, the desperate need and desire in his face mounting as he fucked her with his tongue. Well, it wasn’t like she didn’t have her own hands to help. She began to tease one nipple and slid her other hand down to rub her clit. He looked up.

“No baby, don’t stop. Keep touching yourself for me. I want to watch you,” she said, her voice shaky. He had removed his hand from his dick and was starting to join her but at her words he groaned and renewed his stroking. “That’s it. Nice and hard.” Judging from the sounds he made, Lance liked to be directed. She was storing that information for later use, that’s for damn sure.

They neared the edge of their pleasure quickly. She came with a cry, arching her back high. It was too much, too good, and still Lance didn’t stop, licking and sucking her through it until he pulled back, leaning his head on her thigh, and trembled hard as he came in his hand.

Panting a moment until she caught her breath, Pidge got up. “I’ll get a towel.”

“It’s fine, babe, I’ll get it,” Lance said as he tried to sit up.

“Too slow,” she said with a grin as she hopped back into bed. They cleaned up and cuddled together.

“Did you know you call me baby sometimes, when you’re really into it?” Lance asked. His voice was growing heavy with sleep.

“Oh?” That was embarrassing.

He sighed contentedly and snuggled closer. “I love it.”

She was glad his eyes were closed, so he couldn’t see her blush. “Well then, I suppose that’ll be your reward when you’re doing me really good, mm baby?” She gently ran her fingers through his hair and rubbed his scalp. He practically purred his happiness.

“So what did Shiro say?” Pidge nudged him, rousing him slightly.

“Mmm? About what?” Lance said sleepily. “Oh! Yeah, he suggested you make us all displays we can customize for missions to show our location on a 3D map thing.”

“That...sounds fun to make,” Pidge said. Reflecting realtime changes would be a challenge, but imagine if she could map out sensors for— “Ow!” she said as Lance flicked her between the eyebrows. “What was that for?”

“You were entering Machine Making Mode when you should be sleeping,” Lance said. “If you go full Mode, you'll leave to work on stuff and I won't have a pillow.”

“Pfft. I'm not your pillow, dummy,” she said affectionately.

“Madame, I respectfully disagree.”

This time Pidge was the one who flicked his forehead and he stuck his tongue out at her, making her laugh.

“So? Did the Shiro thing help?” she asked after they quieted down again. “The display idea isn't a bad one and it could be useful for more than just Paladin missions.”

Lance interrupted her by booping her nose with one finger. “You're thinking again. Stop it.”

“Never.”

“Then slow it down,” he insisted and cuddled into her. He was quiet for a moment. “The Shiro thing was better than I thought it would be. Thanks, Pidge, for making me talk to him.”

“No worries, Lance. I'm always happy to boss you around.”

He grinned. “Thanks, Pigeon.”

“Good night, dummy,” she said, kissing the top of his head.

“Good night, genius.”

 

 

~*~*~

 

Pidge went to work on the new holo-watch (as she called it) the next day and Lance tagged along to help (or rather, watch and occasionally hand her a tool). They got on the topic of missions and where all their comrades were at the moment.

“Lotor and the Princess sure are gone a lot lately,” Lance observed thoughtfully.

“It’s a good strategy. Showing a united front of the rebellion with Galra support—it’s a great symbol of hope for a brighter future.”

“Yes, but it’s usually just the two of them.”

“It’s not like they need back up. They’re both capable fighters. We aren’t needing to form Voltron much these days anyway and being able to spread our support in as many systems as possible is—why are you smiling like that?” Pidge interrupted herself. “You’re suggesting they’re trying to be _alone_ together, aren't you?”

Lance was practically smirking. “Love is in the air, my Pigeon. It is the springtime of our youth.”

“They are both just a smidgen past their youth.”

“Yikes, do you have a death wish? Don’t let Allura catch you saying that,” Lance teased.

Pidge had to admit the point and she nodded. “Right. Lips sealed when Allura gets back today.” After Lance made a pouting comment about sealed lips and if that meant no kissing, she gave him an exasperated but loving scowl, a quick kiss, and sent him off to be “useful” somewhere else.

 

 

~*~*~

 

 

As she swung by the kitchen to grab a quick lunch, Pidge realized she had made a miscalculation in teasing Keith and Shiro: she had underestimated the sheer extent of Shiro's incredible ability to feel guilt. He was Mortified with a capital M, and he would NOT stop apologizing. Even after she explained the sound muffling technology she had installed in every bedroom (emphasizing EVERY) and stressed the amount of fun she'd had creating said technology (it had been tricky to allow for sound to still filter into the room, lest people knocking on the door go unnoticed), Shiro was persistent.

“It should never have happened. You were a child, and we were completely thoughtless,” Shiro insisted again.

Pidge slapped her forehead. “Quiznak you're stubborn,” she muttered. “How about this: apology accepted. Uh-uh,” she said, raising a finger to stop Shiro from talking. “Accepted. Forgiven and forgotten. Now, please stop renewing my immense mental scars and never talk about this again, okay?”

Shiro hesitated, but he nodded.

 _Thank god_ , Pidge thought silently and breathed a sigh of relief. That was one problem solved. She turned and started to walk out of the room.

“I really am sorry!” Shiro called out one last time.

“Accepted!” she yelled and hurried away.

 

~*~*~

 

 

Pidge spent all day working on the holo-watch that day and happily presented the progress to everyone at dinner. Matt and Hunk were both out on missions, so she didn’t have anyone she could _really_ brag to, which was a little disappointing, but Shiro politely listened and Lance tried very hard to follow her and was enthusiastic. Coran was very interested and remarked that the Blades used something similar which prompted Keith to take a look. It soon became clear that she had wasted her time as not only was there already a fully functioning holo-watch, but it was significantly better than what she had in mind. The general consensus was that it was fantastic that the technically already existed and could be readily obtained, and wasn’t it great that Pidge didn’t have to work on it anymore? Only Lance recognized Pidge’s disappointment. He squeezed her hand under the table.

“Thanks,” she said quietly to him and gave him a small smile. She felt strangely defeated.

And that was how Pidge happened to be in a glum mood when Allura returned late that evening. She mustered up as much excitement as she could—Allura had been gone for a particularly long this last mission and she was indeed very happy to see the Princess, but her heart wasn't it. She excused herself as soon as she could and was asleep long before Lance came to bed.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allura tries to help Pidge relax but unknowingly inflames the Green Paladin's insecurities. Lance finds out the Castle has a sauna--and _no one told him_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Insecure Pidge is insecure. 
> 
> Apologies again to anyone who wanted the Sheith stuff to be explicit. HAH.

The next morning, Allura pulled Pidge aside to talk to her.

“Pidge, dear, I was hoping to asking you something,” Allura said, looking a little flustered (which was ridiculous—Allura was the embodiment of perfection and her being nervous to talk to _Pidge_ was utterly ludicrous).

“Shoot,” Pidge said.

“Shoot what?” Allura asked, perplexed.

“It's human phrase.   Don't worry about it,” Pidge said. It was so easy to forget she was in space sometimes. “Please feel free to ask your question.”

“Ah,” Allura said, appearing to regather herself. “Yes. I was hoping you would accompany me to a spa. I've been longing for the relaxation and I thought you might benefit from a day off as well.”

A spa day. It did not come as a surprise to Pidge that Allura had picked up on her low mood, but a spa day?? “Pidge” and “spa” weren't exactly concepts that went together. Pedicures, mud masks, probably some kind of seaweed thing you wrap your feet in.... come to think of it, Pidge wasn't really sure what people do during spa days. Do you seriously just sit in hot water for hours? That sounded incredibly boring. What did Lance get out of it?

Pidge must have looked incredulous because Allura began to hastily reassure her about the invitation. “No pressure, of course. If you don't want to come, that's quite alright.”

Pidge quickly stopped her by insisting that yes, she would come and yes it sounded like a nice time and yes it was no trouble and yes it was all fine, she wasn't just saying that. By the end of their short exchange, Pidge began to wonder if Allura thought Pidge was the one doing her a favor by agreeing to the outing rather than Allura treating her to a mini-vacation. It was odd.

She pushed the thoughts away. It was probably just because she'd been overly-aware of Allura ever since she'd started dating Lance. Well, whatever. Hopefully she could pull it together to have a nice time with Allura tomorrow. Pidge stopped. Pull it together? Seriously? It was just a spa day. A spa day _with her friend_. She sighed and rolled her eyes at herself. Keith was right—she was way more emotional than she gave herself credit for.

Without the holo-watch to work on and distract her, Pidge continued to berate herself throughout the day.   It wasn't until supper that she realized the next day was going to give her something incredibly useful: information for her next date with Lance. She'd been looking at this all wrong! A spa day was the perfect way for her to understand Lance better. He _loved_ being pampered. Armed with the cheerful knowledge that no matter what happened, she would have research fuel for date-planning, Pidge was able to sincerely tell Allura that yes, she was looking forward to tomorrow.

That night in bed, Lance cuddled up to far happier girlfriend than he had the night before.   He kissed her cheek and they both slept with smiles on their faces.

 

 

~*~*~

 

 

Pidge had coined a new phrase for herself: polite torture. That was the only way she could adequately sum up the feeling of being subject to relentless exfoliation, achingly deep massage, and ultra hot steam soaks. She had been scrubbed, seared, poked, trimmed, and pinched within an inch of her sanity, all the while being assaulted by pink creams, green mud, and glowing powders. What part of being smeared with pungent substances and enduring violent temperature changes was supposed to be relaxing?! She couldn't even try to simply zone out, either, because a practical swarm of alien attendants kept bringing towels, drinks, and friendly chatter. And the cherry on top? Save for a few precious moments spent wrapped in bathrobes between various tubs and rooms, she was completely naked.

Allura, on the other hand, was in her element. Granted, Allura was always in her element—equally at home on the battlefield as in a ballroom—but she seemed to shine particularly bright here (although perhaps that was just latest round of moisturizing cream). Graceful, regal, ethereal. Allura could be covered in weeds and still look gorgeous—something that Pidge could now attest to in person. She was all long limbs, lovely curves, chocolate skin, and perfect hair. What was it with aliens and having perfect hair?! Allura, Lotor—even Coran’s mustache was its own kind of perfect. She asked Allura.

“Oh you’re too sweet,” Allura laughed musically. “I’ve envied your hair plenty of times, you know. So much volume! And it’s terribly cute. I don’t think I could pull off a shorter style as well as you do. And as for Coran’s mustache… it’s a mystery. He’s had it since he was an infant—don’t ask me how I know that,” she added with a chuckle.

“If you have any pictures, I _need_ to see them,” Pidge said. “Lance, Hunk, Keith— _everyone_ needs to see them.”

Allura laughed again. “If I happen to find any I promise to share them.”

They smiled at each other and lapsed into a comfortable silence. The particular hot bath they were soaking in was a nice temperature, Pidge decided, and smelled less muddy than the one they were in before. She could understand the appeal of relaxing like this and closed her eyes, more contented than she expected.

Allura cleared her throat. “I want to apologize to you, Pidge, about yesterday.”

Yesterday? What on Earth had Allura done yesterday? Other than invite her out, of course, but that was hardly worth an apology, even if it had taken Pidge a while to start to enjoy herself.

Allura cleared her throat again and continued. “I should not have invited Lance out first. It was thoughtless of me. I’ve only ever gone on my spa dates with him, and it didn’t occur to me that it would be inappropriate to spend a private day with him now that the two of you are dating.”

Wait, what? Lance had failed to mention _that_ little detail. Jealousy surged through her and Pidge instantly pushed it down. She could sort through all that later, but right now she was out with Allura (who happens to be an absolute sweetheart) and she was _not_ going to let her insecurities ruin the Princess’s rare day off.

If Allura noticed Pidge’s sudden twist of emotions, she was kind enough not to mention it. “It didn’t occur to me that you might be interested. I half expected you to turn me down, but Lance insisted I try inviting you.”

A new wave of hurt hit Pidge. She had been a second choice. Did Allura even _want_ her to come today? “I was hesitant at first. It’s not like I’ve ever done something like this before but soaking in a hot tub sounded nice,” Pidge replied, trying to sound casual. “Is it always like this?” The idea of Allura spending a long, secluded day like this—naked and gossiping—with Lance made something dark and sad rise within her. She tried to bite it back.

“Oh yes. No matter the spa or location, there’s always a hot soak and a massage, so the experience is about the same. Lance and I always enjoyed chatting and trying out the lotions—although I did have to threaten not to bring him with me anymore if he didn’t stop flirting,” she chuckled.  

“Oh. I meant do you always do this naked?” Pidge asked hesitantly. She tried _very_ hard not to imagine Lance rubbing lotions on Allura.

“Why, of course,” Allura said in surprise. “Do humans not usually bathe naked?”

“We do,” Pidge said hurriedly, hoping Allura would not pick up on her discomfort. “But we don’t _swim_ naked, and I wasn’t sure if a spa day counted more as swimming or bathing.”

Allura hummed thoughtfully. “I had not considered that. What an interesting point. Alteans have specialized clothes for swimming (which I believe humans do as well) but that might have something more to do with cooler water temperature, and of course spa baths are always hot.” Allura smiled. “Are you enjoying yourself?”

“I’m glad I came,” Pidge replied. She wasn’t necessarily enjoying herself per se, but she _was_ glad she came. She really did value her friendship with Allura. “You and I don’t have a lot of time to hang out usually.”

“Always a good idea to bond as Paladins,” Allura said kindly. “I appreciate you taking me up on my invitation.”

Pidge saw an opening and took it. “Yes, I miss having you around. You and Lotor are gone a lot lately,” Pidge said. A change of subject was a relief, and she might as well follow up on Lance’s ridiculous theory, if only to prove him wrong. And maybe a teensy part of her would feel better if she knew Allura liked someone, but just a teensy part. Really.

There _might_ have been a blush on Allura’s cheeks, but between her already present flush from the hot water and the dark color of her skin, it was nearly impossible to say. She did, however, duck her head slightly when she responded. “Yes, I suppose I have been gone quite a bit as of late. I do miss you all terribly, but I am pleased that Lotor and I have made excellent progress with a number of star systems.”

“I didn’t mean to imply you were gone too much,” Pidge reassured her quickly. “It’s just that we’ve missed having you around. We all know you two have been working hard and we appreciate it.” Allura smiled graciously at the compliment. “I’m glad you two are getting along now, too.”

Allura laughed, a little embarrassed. “It seems foolish now how long it took me to warm up to him, but he has proved himself a very useful ally, even if I don’t always agree with his methods. His diplomatic skills are…a bit wanting, but he’s still better than Keith and we aren’t in a position to turn down help.”

Well, that was hardly a romantic way to describe someone. Granted, if Allura didn’t want anyone to know she liked Lotor, Pidge was sure she’d be able to hide it. Oh well.  

The conversation slipped to safer topics, and Pidge found she enjoyed herself more when she looked at everything in terms of science. She might not care about age-defying eye cream or deep exfoliation, but she was extremely interested in the volcanic properties of the mud in her face mask and the reasons why a light acid wash was particularly helpful. All hail science. It made everything better. By the end of the day, she had harvested a good crop of ideas for her date with Lance and once she was less apprehensive about the whole “spa” thing, she was able to somewhat soothe her jealous heart and reconnect with Allura.

She was happy she came.

 

 

~*~*~

 

 

Once back at the Castle, Pidge’s mood sank again, just a little. She walked into Lance’s room for comfort.

“Hey, Pigeon. How was spa stuff? You look a little down,” Lance noted. He was playing Ultimate Prince Otome 2 on a tablet while lying on his bed, and he scooted over to make room for her.

“Not terrible,” she said as flopped down beside him.

“A glowing review!” he teased.

“They rubbed and scrubbed me raw. I am not a fan of ‘exfoliating’ and I guess my muscles were super tight because after the massage everything started aching,” Pidge said. “Who are you playing?”

“Francis. I think he’s a drug dealer,” Lance said.

Pidge laughed. “He’s a cop.”

“The perfect cover,” Lance countered. “So, other than scrubbed and achy, how are you?” He looked her over with a critical eye. Lance was frequently oblivious, but he was an affection boyfriend who could sense when something was off.

Pidge shrugged, wanting to be honest but also not wanting to sort through all the emotions from the day. “Mixed up, I guess. Allura said she invited you first.”

“Yeah,” Lance scratched at his head. “I didn’t think you’d like it if I went.”

“But you wanted to go?” Pidge pressed. She hated that she was doing this, but Lance didn’t seem bothered.

“Well, yeah. It’s been forever since I’ve had a nice soak, or even just been in a sauna,” Lance said, surprised it was even a question.

Of course it was just about that. Pidge could have punched herself.

Lance cocked his head as he studied her. “Does it bother you that she invited me?”

“Yes,” she admitted, “but it bothers me more that you didn’t tell me she did.”

Lance’s eyebrows shot up. “I should have told you?? I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to keep you in the dark or anything. I really didn’t think it was a big deal.”

Pidge sighed and hide her face in his shoulder for a moment. “It isn’t a big deal, really. I don’t like that I was her second choice, though. That kinda sucked.”

Lance sat up straight. “That’s not it all, Pidge. She asked me if you were feeling depressed and wanted to know if I could help her find a way to cheer you up. She just suggested we think about ways to make you feel better while we were at a spa ‘cause she wanted to go to one in the first place. I told her she should try inviting because you are totally unschooled in the ways of the mud masks and soaking and, well, you know the rest.”

“That makes sense,” Pidge said, a little sheepish. Mostly she just wanted to change the subject. She settled down more comfortably and pointed to the tablet. “Show me what you’ve been up to with Francis.”

Lance happily delved into his adventures of the day, explaining in great detail how background objects and dialogue nuances showed a conspiracy involving Francis, illegal substance trafficking, and quite possibly the Illuminati. He had her laughing and arguing in no time. They stayed up late, talking and debating, and when at last they actually laid down to sleep, a final thought crossed Pidge’s sleepy mind: maybe it wasn't Lance who was insecure about them—maybe it was her.

 

 

~*~*~

 

 

Pidge was determined to make her date with Lance a meaningful day and a total surprise. She enlisted half the Castle’s residents in keeping Lance distracted so she could prepare for the date in secret.   Luckily, Lance was easy to distract. That was how he was completely blindsided when at dinner a week later Keith stretched leisurely and announced he was going to hit the sauna.

“Uh, hang on dude—I think you mean pool. We've got a pool, not a sau—oh gods please tell me that's not some kinky term you two use,” Lance said cringing.

Keith smirked. “I know what a sauna is, dude, and we have one.”

“What?” Lance's mouth dropped open. He turned to Coran. “Did you know about this?! Shouldn't this have been included with our basic Paladin training?! This is important information!”

Coran twirled his mustache. “An excellent idea, Keith. I believe I'll join you.”

Lance now turned to Shiro. “Shiro, buddy, tell me you didn't know about a sauna. Tell me you didn't know there was a sauna that you _somehow failed to mention_.”

Shiro shrugged, turning his face so Lance couldn't see his grin. “I thought you knew. Do you want to join us?”

“Do-I-want-to-join-you. In a sauna. Do you people even know me? Have we met?” Lance scowled. He thrust his hand out. “Hi, my name is Lance. _Yes I will fucking join you in a goddamn sauna_.”

“Language!” Coran said, scandalized.

Lance whirled on him and narrowed his eyes. “You shut your quiznak. You're on my list now, traitor.” He turned back to Shiro. “I forgive you because you're beautiful. And I forgive the girls, because they're beautiful, too.”

(Allura and Pidge rolled their eyes at each other.)

Keith snorted and patted Lance on the shoulder. “Right. Let's go.”

“I didn't say I forgive _you_ ,” Lance protested as he let himself be lead from the room. “Wait!” he stopped suddenly. “Pidge?”

Pidge looked up from her plate of goo, the picture of innocence. “Yeah?”

“Are you coming?”

She snort-laughed. “No, you boys go sweat in peace.”

“You said you love it when I'm sweaty.”

“Lance, go sit in the damn sauna,” she said waving him away, hoping no one noticed she was blushing.

“Language!” he cried, eyes wide, but then let drag Keith from the room.

 

 

~*~*~

 

 

It was several hours later that Lance opened the door to his room, his eyes squinting. “Pigeon,” he said simply.

Pidge looked up innocently from his bed where she'd been playing Ultimate Prince Otome 2.

He strode over to the bed stared down at her, features covered in mock sternness but a smile clearly straining to peak through. “Pigeon,” he said again.

She smiled up at him.

“You made the damn sauna.”

“Language!”

“I sat in that sauna for _two hours_ before Shiro pointed to the plaque. 'Sylvester's Sweat-lodge' eh? You realize 'Lance's Lounge' was available, right?” He flopped next to her on the bed and wrapped his long arms around her.

“Coran insisted,” she chuckled. “I'm pretty sure he still thinks Sylvester is a real person. Do you think we should tell him?”

“Pigeon! Don't break the man's heart,” Lance said. “Cruel woman.”

“Hmm. Well, this cruel woman has a surprise for you, so take off your robe, close your eyes, and don't open them until I say so,” Pidge said firmly. She waited with a raised eyebrow and he sighed in dramatic exasperation.

“Lie _naked_ in _bed_ with my _eyes closed_? So many demands! Actually, that sounds kinky. What is this, my birthday?” he said as he tossed robe to the floor and closed his eyes with a grin.

“Not your birthday,” Pidge said.

“Didn't think so,” he huffed, “but apparently there's a lot of things people aren't telling me around here.” He drummed his fingers on the bed while he waited. Pidge moved around the room, opening drawers, setting out various bottles, and generally making enough noise to make Lance practically buzz with curiosity.

“Piiiiidge,” he whined.

She snickered. “Laaaaance.”

“Can I open my eyes now?”

“I dunno,” she said. “Have I told you that you could?”

“No...,” he pouted.

Pidge laughed quietly and arranged one finally item. She rubbed her hands nervously on her pants and took a deep breath. “Okay,” she said. “You can open them.”

Lance sat up and looked around him in slow wonder. “Pidge...? What is this? Where am I?” The room had been transformed. In place of his room's gray walls was a night ocean spread in all directions. The corners of the room were posts of some tropical hut, sheltering them in a quiet harbor while stars shimmered on the horizon.

“Cuba, I hope,” she said bashfully. “I borrowed some of the Altean technology from the holodeck. I know it's just stereotypical 'island', but I've never been there so I had to do a lot of guess work, and this is what I came up with, so...” her voice trailed off.

Lance's eyes were dancing. He kept turning to look in all directions. “This is incredible. Seriously—is this my birthday? Why'd you do all this?”

 _Because I love you, dummy._ “To get you back—for the date. I thought about where I would take you, and I can't you take to Cuba, so I brought it here,” she concluded. “I wanted to give you a real spa, too, but calculations for saturation and suspension of multiple varieties of mud baths indicated the whole thing was both more difficult to maintain and more expense to create than Allura really wanted for the Castle, so I settled on the sauna for part one,” she explained, knowing she was rambling but too embarrassed by Lance's awed expression to stop.

“Part one?” Lance said, mouth open.

“Part two is the massage,” she said. She gestured toward the variety of bottles she'd set up. “I picked a variety of oils and lotions because I didn't know what your preference would be.”

Lance stared for a moment longer before breaking out into laughter. Pidge's cheeks colored. Was this a dumb idea?

“Do you... do you want one?” she asked.

Lance immediately sprang out of bed and engulfed her in a hug. He swung her in a happy twirl before setting her down and kissing her with a loud smack of lips. “That would be _perfect_ , and so are you.” He grinned at her with his trademark goofy smile. “This is amazing. I can't believe you did all this for me. And a massage? You are seriously spoiling me, Madame.”

Pidge giggled. “Why else did you think I wanted you naked? You didn't it was for something _sexual_ , did you? Lance McClain, I do declare I am scandalized.”

“I would never besmirch your honor, dear Lady,” he said as he gallantly kissed her hand. “Perish the thought! Consider your honor thoroughly smirched.”

“Lance, 'smirched' also means 'blemished'.”

“ _What?_ That's not fair. I was being super smooth. Language has betrayed me for the last time,” he shook his fist at the sky in defiance. “Seriously though, besmirched means the same thing as smirched? That's ridiculous.”

Pidge shrugged. “Basically. Now, pick a lotion and lie down.”

Lance did as he was told, deliberating carefully over the bottles before making his selection and lying on his stomach on the bed. Pidge straddled over him, poured a generous amount of lotion on her hands, and began to knead his shoulders and back. He hummed in appreciation and occasionally directed her to particular locations to focus on.

“I feel a little bad,” Lance said as he rolled onto his back (nearly dislodging the startled Pidge in the process). “When I planned our date, I thought of stuff that I'd want to do together, but you did all of this for me.”

“Maybe doing things for you is something I want to do?” she said and kissed the tip of his nose. “Also, you're missing something: building things and trying out new tech is fun for me. Just because we didn't make it together doesn't mean it wasn't something for _us_. You spoil me plenty, Mr. McClain.”

Lance cupped a hand along her cheek. “You're perfect,” he whispered. His expression was full of both awe and contentment.

Pidge turned her head to kiss his palm. “You too. Now, let me get back to work.”

Lance sighed, blissed out and calm. He looked peaceful in more than just body as Pidge worked her way down his limbs, swirling palms and fingers over his muscles, feeling them relax. Privately, she relished the chance to simply view and explore him. He was beautiful. Caramel skin, smooth and soft without being delicate, always sun-kissed and it felt as warm and inviting as it looked. His shoulders had broadened and his chest filled out, but he was still lean and Pidge loved the long lines of him, almost slender but still masculine. He’d grown his hair out a few inches which utterly delighted her. More to play with. He constantly threatened to cut it, bemoaning the difficulty he had keeping it styled. It certainly added time to his morning routine, but Pidge just thought it was cute. He was _such_ a doofus (in the very best sense). She moved her hands up to massage his scalp and he hummed his approval.

“How’re you feeling?” she asked with a smile.

Lance looked up at her with an almost vacant—but very affectionate—stare. “Goooood,” he promised, smile both goofy and serene.

Pidge chuckled and began to massage his chest. He groaned a little.

“That kinda hurts. Not a bad hurt,” he clarified quickly.

“I thought so,” Pidge said as she knit her brows in concentration. “Your shoulder muscles were tense, so I figured your pectorals might be tight, too. Does your bayard have a lot of recoil?”

“Hey now, I’m plenty strong enough to handle my guns,” he pouted, but winked at her as he flexed his biceps.

Pidge rolled her eyes. “You could have said ‘yes, it’s terrible’ and I would’ve given you more massages, but it sounds like you have everything under control.”

Lance narrowed his eyes. “You are too tricky to be a pigeon. I should have named you Hawk.”

Pidge chuckled and continued the massage. Her hands were starting to tire but she was _not_ stopping until she’d given his abs some attention—his gorgeous, stupidly sexy abs. It was his abs that started it all, really. She’d been dimly aware for a while that Lance was attractive and that she enjoyed hanging out with him somewhat more than she used to, but nothing seemed unusual to her—or evenly vaguely romantic or sexual—until one day on a particularly hot planet, Lance had used the corner of his shirt to wipe sweat off his forehead and Pidge had been utterly blindsided at the site of his perfect set of washboard, drool-worthy muscles. She tried to write it off as sunstroke, but after a week of being overly aware of him every time they were near each other and feeling her heart clench whenever he tried a stupid pick up line at a (likely blushing) lovely alien, she realized it was indeed a crush. At some point friendship had deepened into something more, and now when Lance flirted she recognized her feelings as jealousy rather than annoyance. Frankly, it sucked. It had taken almost two years before Lance’s feelings for her developed, and some days she still couldn’t believe it. But she was happy. Very happy. The gorgeous, adorable doofus was hers to love and touch and cuddle. She grinned to herself.

“Liking the view?” quipped Lance. He’d put his hands behind his head, smugly watching her. “You kinda stopped massaging.”

Pidge flushed. “The view is pretty nice but the company is pushing his luck.”

He laughed. He reached for her hands and kissed them lightly. “Getting tired?”

“A little,” she admitted.

He patted the bed beside him. “Snuggle!”

“I should have expected you to be a cuddler,” Pidge smiled as she lay down next to him.

“That you should’ve,” Lance agreed, swinging an arm around her. “I’m always super touchy with everyone, aren’t I? Probably comes from having tons of siblings swarming me all my life.”

Her heart clenched. Thinking about Earth always made her sad. When she’d first started searching for her brother and father, she never imagined it would end with her mother being alone, for _years_ , probably thinking her husband and children were dead. Things were better for Pidge now that Matt lived at the Castle, but whenever she thought of her mother, she felt a surge of guilt. And Pidge was the lucky one—unlike the rest of the Paladins, she actually had family in space. She knew it was especially hard on Lance.

“When we get back to Earth, I’d like to meet your family. If it’s alright, I mean. I don’t want to presume—oof!” she said as Lance suddenly spun to tackle her, pressing her into the mattress with a massive hug.

“Thank you,” he said. “Thank you so much, Pidge.”

“For wanting to meet them?” She blushed a little. She’d thought he would be pleased, but not _that_ pleased.

“For saying ‘when’ not ‘if’,” he said. “And yes, I really want you to meet them.”

Pidge maneuvered her arms so she could place her hands on his face and gently directed Lance to look at her. “We’re going to go home, baby. We’re the Paladins of Voltron. If there’s anyone in the universe who can make that happen, it’s us. And we’re _going to do it_.”

A tender smile that reached his eyes covered Lance's face. He leaned down to her and she rose to meet him. They exchanged kisses, soft and gentle and pure affection. Their hands moved, but only to cup faces or weave through hair. Reassurance.

It was Pidge who initiated the next step. _I love you, feel it, please... I love you, I love you, know it and love me too_ , she thought with every press of lips, every stroke of fingers. And perhaps Lance did feel it, because he responded to her need and kissed harder, touched longer, until he helped her shed her clothes to lie naked under him and in gentle motions took her breath away, slowly and surely taking her apart. She gasped and clung to him when he entered her and she reached up to tug him down for a kiss. They melted together, more kiss than sex, the motion of his hips almost lazy until their slow crescendo broke over them, leaving them wrung out in each others' arms, dissolving back into gentle kisses.

Physically and emotionally tired, they curled together and soon Lance was asleep. Pidge watched him, his eyelashes fluttering lightly with the occasional soft snore, and she yelled at her heart in anger. It should be simple, right? Telling your boyfriend you love him? It was true. So, so stupidly true. She loved him, and the words always died before they reached her mouth. She’d spent so much time longing for him and now that he was hers, it was like her heart didn’t accept it, like it was too afraid this was all temporary. Maybe jealousy was just a part of who she was now.   And so the date, the one she’d designed to show (and hopefully _tell_ ) Lance that she loved him, ended with Pidge biting her inner cheek hard to stop tears of frustration from leaving her eyes while Lance slept, peaceful and happy beside her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sylvester shows up again.
> 
> I'm actually almost done with the final chapter. There was a super huge and kinky smut scene that sounded waaaay too fun to write, so I wrote that part out ages ago. I think I have another 6,000 words ready to go. Maybe I'll split the last bit into two chapters so I keep chapter sizes consistent?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little angst, a little fluff, and a whole lotta smut follow in the wake of the Date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pidge, your kink is showing. Lance, your everything is showing.

It took Pidge longer than usual to extricate herself from an overly-cuddly Lance the next morning, but she managed it. She got ready for the day in her room and stopped to give herself a lecture in the mirror. It was okay. She'd made Lance _feel_ loved, and that was the main thing. Words were important, too, but it didn't matter that she hadn't said them yet. Really. She'd say them when she said them, and that was that. Really. She felt better.

Nodding to herself, she put her in a ponytail and was about to leave when Lance suddenly appeared in her doorway.

“My pillow left me,” he said darkly.

“Tragic,” she said and patted him on the cheek. “Your pillow wants breakfast. Are you coming?”

Lance grumbled sleepily but followed her to the kitchen. Such a dork.

Allura was sitting at the table and smiled at them when they sat down. “Did you enjoy the sauna, Lance?”

“You bet your sweet cheeks I did. Sweated like a pig. It was awesome.”

“I don't know what a pig is, but I take it that was good thing?” Allura asked in amusement.

“Pigs are known for being messy animals,” Pidge explained.

“And delicious,” Lance stressed.

“And so their sweat is...delicious?” Allura was now confused.

Pidge smacked her forehead. “It's a weird Earth saying thing and it's probably better if we don't let Lance try to describe it. The point is the sauna was a hit. Thanks for your help getting it set up!”

Lance turned to Allura interested. “Oh, you helped?? Did you sit for temperature readings or something?”

Pidge's stomach flopped. It did not sit well with her that Lance was talking to Allura about sitting naked in a room she'd built for _him_. People get naked in saunas. That's kinda the point, she reminded herself.

“Uh, yes?” Lance said, curiously. “Not really what I was asking but okay.”

Quiznak. She'd said that out loud.

“Actually Coran helped with the mechanical work,” Allura said, clearing her throat. “The rest of us were on distraction duty.”

“Aww,” Lance said, looking dejected. “I thought you guys just wanted to hang out with me.”

“It was hardly a chore,” Allura said soothingly. She patted his hand.

Pidge gritted her teeth and stabbed her space goo unnecessarily hard. Lance noticed and cocked his head.

“You okay, Pidge?” he asked. She had a feeling he was asking about more than just the food stabbing.

 _Just jealous about absolutely nothing again_ , she thought, silently this time. “Not looking forward to tonight,” she shrugged. It was also true.

In yet another diplomatic goodwill mission, the residents of the Castle were going to attend a banquet on the neighboring planet. Fancy dress events made Pidge nervous. She was always worried she'd unknowingly commit some giant faux pos and immediately destroy the hard work Allura and Lotor had put in to making the alliance. Luckily, Allura and Shiro were both fantastic at these events. So was Lance, come to think of it. That dork could get away with anything.

“Aww, Pigeon. Don't be like that. It's our first banquet together,” Lance said. He was giving her the _goofiest_ grin. “I get to show you off and dance with you and get too drunk and brag about you to everyone.”

“You're _planning_ to get too drunk?” Allura asked with a deep sigh, pressing her fingers to her temples. Pidge could practically see the headache forming.

Lance laughed. “It’s fine, Princess. You don't have to worry about keeping me behaved. That's this one's problem now,” he said, looping an arm around Pidge's neck and giving her hair an affectionate ruffle.

“Gee, lucky me,” she said as she rolled her eyes. But she smiled anyway.

 

 

~*~*~

 

 

It was embarrassing how quickly Lance figured out she'd been jealous, but somehow it was relieving. He wasn't mad or annoyed. He'd just smoothly reminded her that he 1) knew they were dating 2) he was looking forward to both hanging out and showing her off and 3) he could easily draw a boundary line between Allura and herself. He did it so casually, too, like her insecurity wasn't a weight crushing her. She was glad he saw it that way. And honestly? That lessened the weight considerably.

Pidge felt much better than she expected by the time the Castle residents landed planet side. Since the banquet would not be over until very late (or perhaps, very early? The grammar of the matter always annoyed Pidge), their hosts graciously offered to provide them with rooms for the evening. Pidge headed to Allura's room with the Princess. It was their custom to get ready together before these kinds of events. Pidge was extremely grateful the first time Allura had suggested it. Some of the clothes were difficult to get into—today's was no exception.

“I know I'm little, but was this actually made for a child?! Is there a cloth shortage on this planet?!” Pidge exclaimed. The bodice of her dress was _very_ tight. She squirmed it over her head, struggling to actually pull it down over her body. The skirt was no problem—flowing out immediately below her hips—but the rest of it might as well have been a vice. Allura helped her tug it into place.

“Pidge!” she gasped. “You must look in a mirror. You are stunning. Absolutely stunning,” she urged.

Pidge was entirely unconvinced but made her way over to floor length mirror on the other side of the bedroom. She was shocked when she saw herself. “Allura, I think my sexiness stats just tripled. I got buffed holy quiznak.” The dress was made from a black, slinky material. The top was sleeveless and despite being very tight did not flatten her chest. Her subtle curves were embraced and heightened and there was no doubt in her mind now that this dress was _not_ meant for a child. Her creamy skin contrasted wonderfully with the dark material which was a relief; she'd been worried she'd just look washed-out. She was fairly certain her grandmother would have been scandalized and worried about her being mistaken for a hooker. She was also fairly certain Lance was in for a good evening.

“I wouldn't say you look buff, just seductively fit,” Allura assured her, the gamer lingo passing her by entirely. Pidge made a mental note to herself to tone down the Earth-isms while around the Princess.

Pidge grinned at her. “Thanks, that means a lot.”

“Of course,” Allura said sweetly. “Now, let's get to work on our hair.”

 

 

~*~*~

 

 

Pidge reflected for not the last time that few things could boost your confidence like a dress that you _know_ you look good in. Feeling at ease, she handled herself well while talking to the various diplomats and banquet attendees. She was disappointed not to be seated next to Lance, but every time she happened to look his way she caught him stealing glimpses of her (if not outright staring) with a hunger that had absolutely nothing to do with the content's of the dinner table. Bless you, skanky dress. Damned if she wasn't going to seduce her boyfriend tonight.

She winked at him. He immediately started, as though shocked she'd noticed him, and turned back to his conversation partner, blushing fiercely. Success. She took the opportunity to eye him over. He was wearing a tight shirt of the same black fabric with a long, loose tunic over equally loose pants. She smirked. He would probably have a terrible time hiding a boner. She _would_ be teasing him about that later.

It took far too long for the dinner portion of the evening to conclude. The food was fantastic but, as amazing as it was to have something other than space goo, the restricting bodice of her dress meant she could only indulge in small portions. It worried the alien to her left to no end, thinking she must be sick and it was only with a great deal of reassurance that the kind-heartened creature was convinced not to call a doctor.

At last guests left the table and dispersed into the ballroom. Pidge was not at all surprised when Lance cornered her almost immediately. His eyes roamed freely over her, following the slinky path of the fabric every where it draped and pulled, unable to look away. He was teetering between embarrassment and eagerness and his face was flushed.

“Good evening, Lance,” she greeted him coyly. “Are you enjoying yourself?”

“How did you even manage to get this over your underwear?” he breathed in a murmured attempt at flirtation.

“I didn't.”

Lance's expression was everything she'd hoped it would be. He swallowed, tried to speak, swallowed again, and finally made a vague hand gesture as a strangled squeak managed to break through his lips.

“Don't believe me?” Pidge purred. She leaned forward, lightly pressing one hand against his chest, and whispered into his ear. “You can check.”

She pulled back and drank in the desire in Lance's eyes. He licked his lips, not nervous but _wanting_ , she realized with excitement. She loved that it was her who had given him the little push he needed to lose restraint. Her last minute decision to go commando was paying off in spades (damn you to hell, pantie lines).

Lance firmly took her hand, threading his fingers through hers, and led her purposefully across the room. He graciously offered the shortest possible courtesies to the dignitaries that hailed them, skillfully weaving through the crowd to avoid as many interactions as possible. Pidge's cheeks were flushed with excitement when they at last made it to the nearest exit—a veranda.  

Lance immediately twirled her deftly into the corner of an alcove, her back against the wall. Pidge grinned fiercely up at him. Now _that_ was a look she could get used to, that possessive blue fire in his eyes. She dug her fingers into his tunic, pulling him closer as he pressed in around her.

“Miss Holt, I do believe you’ve been testing the limits of my propriety tonight. Are you prepared to face the consequences?” Lance grinned, his eyes dancing and his voice quiet.

“Well Mr. McClain, being that you have me cornered, I suppose I must accept my fate and submit to you,” she said demurely, lacing her hands behind his neck. She bit her lip to fight down a small gasp as Lance slid a hand under her skirt, fingers brushing lightly up her inner thigh.

“Yes, Miss Holt,” Lance said in a hushed but firm voice, “I need you to submit.” He plunged in a finger.

Her eyes widened and Pidge gasped. He immediately covered her mouth with his free hand.

“How are you doing there, Pidge? Need me to stop?” He searched her eyes, his own still fire bright. She clenched around his finger, shocked at the easy slide of it, and shook her head. “Damn baby, you are so wet for me,” he breathed in awe. She moaned against his hand and he clicked his tongue to chide her. “No, baby, not tonight. You need to be quiet for me, okay? Can you be quiet for me?”

She nodded and he removed his hand from her mouth, steadying himself against the wall behind her. He leaned his forehead onto her shoulder. “Fuck,” he whispered. He kept the palm of his hand pressed tight against her and stroked gently with first one finger, then two.

“Pidge, I…,” his voice trailed off. He looked almost frightened. “Pidge, I don’t just want you. I _need_ you.” He was trembling. “Pidge, please.” He was begging. Even more than his voice and words, his eyes were begging, utterly begging for her.

Light, laughter, and music spilled out from the banquet room. The privacy of their alcove on the veranda was a mere illusion, instantly shattered if even one party-goer stepped out for a breath of night air. Pidge steadied herself and licked her lips.

“What are you asking me for? You’re the one with his pants still on,” she murmured, slyly pulling up her skirt an inch more to emphasize her point. “I’m already waiting.”

Lance eagerly fumbled at himself and Pidge happily helped him, not removing any layers but simply freeing his member from where it lay, straining against his clothes, painfully erect. He hoisted her up and she opened her legs to wrap around him, capturing his waist. She pressed back into the wall to help hold her weight and he lined himself up. She leaned forward to meet him in a hungry kiss before they began.

He entered. It was a slow, deep thrust and once fully inside, he waited. She willed herself to relax, but her body couldn’t help spasming in pleasure around the welcome intrusion. She pressed against his ear and whispered “Baby, you fill me so good, so full. Just a moment, baby. Let me get used to you.” She nibbled at his ear and kissed his neck. He shuddered but remained still.

“Call me baby again,” he said, burying his face in her neck. She could hear a needy whine in his voice and felt a flush of embarrassment coming off him. She loved that he was confident enough to ask.

“You’re so mean, baby, filling me like that but making me stay quiet.” She kissed praises into his hair. “You feel so good in me, baby. How about you move that big dick of yours and make me come?”

Lance sucked in his breath. Pidge smiled to herself, knowing how he thrived on that kind of talk, and damned if it wasn’t hot to make him feel that good. And for her? His hot breath on her body as he panted and strained to reach deeper in her was almost as good as the hard thrusts that poured into her again and again. She clung tighter to him, arching her back into the wall to hold as much of her weight off him as she could while angling her hips to meet him. She could feel the desperation of his need and want in his movements and it physically pained her not to moan her pleasure. She whispered encouragements. “Fill me, baby. I need you take me. Need to feel how bad you want it,” her voice was strained and hitched but she didn’t care. He was driving harder than ever, one hand gripping her to press her down onto his thrusts, and she could feel that he was _using_ her, using her body to take his own pleasure and it was so good and so hot and so good so good so—

She came hard, clutching him and clawing at his back and had to sink her teeth into her own hand to keep quiet. He snapped his hips through her tight pulsing and it pushed him over the edge leaving them trembling together, panting. As they slowly untangled and her feet touched the ground, Pidge felt something dripping down her thighs. Quiznak. She’d forgotten about that little detail. Before she could ask Lance to find a napkin or towel or _something_ , he sunk to his knees and lifted her skirt. She gasped.

Lance licked at her thighs, his warm tongue cleaning her. He nipped at her for a moment before ducking his tongue deep into her, sucking and swallowing everything he found there. Pidge surprised them both by coming again, clapping her hand over her mouth to keep silent, and Lance licked her through it with long, firm strokes, and gave a moan muffled against her folds. Lance kissed around her pelvis a few times after she stilled before settling back on his heels and grinning up at her.

“How’d I do?” he said with a cocky smirk, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

She ruffled his hair affectionately. “Not too bad. I think we should practice that. Later,” she added as an afterthought, slumping down and hugging him. “I might need a _little_ break.” They embraced lazily for a moment, savoring the comfort of each others' company. “I didn't know you had that in you, but I am not complaining.”

“Actually, I believe I was the one who had it in you,” Lance pointed out reasonably.

And that gave Pidge an idea.

“Later,” she murmured to herself.

“What was that?” asked Lance.

She grinned and kissed him on the forehead. “We should get back to the party before someone comes looking for us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided to make this 4 chapters instead of 3 just because of story flow. Enjoy the smut! 
> 
> After this story there will be the three more installments in the Pidge is a Girl series. Well, at *least* one more plus some fluffy drabbles, 'cause I already wrote part 3 (instead of, you know, finishing part 2) and I have several cute fluff scenes I couldn't fit in anywhere. Might as well share 'em. Part 5 is.... mean. XD And of course I've already written a few pages (instead of, you know, finishing part 2).
> 
> Close to done with the next chapter! See you again soon. :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance continues to be Lance, and Pidge finally has the courage to tell him just what an awesome thing that is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning: no smut in this chapter. I KNOW RIGHT. How did that happen?!

For the rest of the evening, Lance utterly refused to leave her side (other than dashing after a tray of appetizers). It was endearing. Pidge wasn’t sure how much of it was because of post-coital bliss (he was very much an after-cuddler) or due to him making good on his promise to show her off. He certainly made good on his promise to dance with her and drink too much. And speaking of showing her off—every time they stopped to chat with a new dignitary, Lance made it a point to say “and _this_ is _Pidge_ , the pilot of the _Green_ Lion” like they might not have realized the Green Lion played a particularly important role instead of, say, the Black Lion. The introduction earned them not a few confused expressions. It was fun. She was having fun. At a _banquet_. Lance made everything fun.

After having spent ample to time meet what Pidge sincerely hoped was a sufficient number of dignitaries, Pidge turned to Lance to see if she could coax him to go to bed. It seemed she was not the only Paladin who planned on leaving because before she could ask Lance, he leaned over with his own observation.

“Keith and Shiro are trying to duck out,” he slur-whispered into Pidge’s ear. “Should we tell them the veranda is open?”

Pidge snort-laughed. “I’d rather they didn’t know about our shenanigans, actually.” She shuddered at the thought of Shiro apologizing again—because he absolutely would.

“Shenanigans. She-nan-i-gans. She-nanny-grams! She’s a nanny to her Grams. I figured it out,” Lance said, his face lit up like he’d discovered an ancient secret. His smile dropped suddenly. “Poor old lady needs it. Nanny-ing. Poor Gramma. Grandma. Grand-ma. Does anyone say the ‘D’? Hah. The D.”

“Ooookay, time for bed.”

“Ohhhh, so you want the D,” he smirked.

“I could have gone a lifetime without hearing that sentence and been fine,” Keith said. He and Shiro had walked up.

“Aw, like you don’t say it all the time,” Lance pouted.

“You two calling it quits for the evening?” Pidge asked, ignoring Lance.

“Yeah, we’re heading to bed,” Shiro said. He nodded toward Lance. “Probably time for him to go, too.”

“You’re no fun, Dad,” Lance said, sticking out his tongue. “You’re not my real dad. You’re my Space Dad. Space Daddy. I bet you call him that all the ti—“ Lance tried to say before Pidge popped her hand over his mouth.

“Good night you two,” she said smoothly, trying hard not to laugh at Keith’s sudden and desperate blush. He and Shiro made a hasty retreat.

Pidge was nearly able to steer Lance from the room without further incident, but he suddenly noticed that Lotor had managed to get back from his mission in time to make an appearance, and he _insisted_ on saying hello. As Lotor was currently standing next to Allura, Pidge had a deep fear that Lance was about to, well, be Lance.

“Lotor, my man, my prince, my dude,” Lance began. “I need to congratulate you. Both of you,” he added to Allura who shifted uncomfortably.

Lotor raised an eyebrow. “Oh yes?”

“Yes,” Lance breathed. He snatched up both of Lotor’s hands, to the half-Galra’s utter shock, and nodded earnestly before grabbing one Allura’s hands to add to the pile. He clasped their hands together and leaned in close. “Your _hair_.” Pidge smacked her forehead.

“Our…hair?” Lotor puzzled. He glanced to Allura for help.

“Yes. Yes, your hair,” Lance continued in his normal voice. “Precisely my point. Congratulations on your stupendous hair. And I believe other congratulations are in order,” he nodded with a self-assured smirk.

“Sorry, Allura, I really do take my Lance-wrangling duties seriously,” Pidge insisted. “Good night to both of you,” she added as she pulled Lance away.

“But Pidge—I haven’t congratulated them on how _tall_ they are!” Lance whined. He shook free of her arm at the last second and called out, “For the sake of the gene pool don’t use protection!” Lance left the room winking, finger-gunning, AND moon-walking. It was the most Lance Thing she'd ever seen—the only thing that could have topped that was if he'd dabbed while wearing Heelys.

“Good night again!” Pidge called and hurried after Lance before he could cause more trouble.

Lotor turned back to Allura with a baffled expression. “Do we have a pool?”

“And a sauna,” she affirmed. A blush stayed on her cheeks for the rest of the night.

 

 

~*~*~

 

 

Either due to some property of the Space Wine or simply as a side effect of being LanceTM, the Blue Paladin did not have a hangover the next morning. Pidge woke up to him cheerfully bouncing onto the bed as he sat down with a tray full of breakfast food (which was miraculously unharmed by said bounding).

“Good morning, star shine. You look lovely as always. And I think you should know: I can't wait for Hunk to get back,” he announced as he bit into some kind of blue fruit.

“Aww, someone having to put up with only ONE best friend around? You missing your buddy?” Pidge said as she sat up and stretched.

“Missing my—what does that have anything to do with—ohhhh I see what you mean. Yeah sure, I miss the guy. Tons. But the important thing here, my dear Pigeon, is that he's picking up some video games I ordered.”

“You ordered some stuff? Sweet. I'm having Matt pick me up some things, too,” she said.

“Power couple!” he yelled.

“Up top!” she agreed.

They high-fived.

“When's Hunk getting back anyway?” Pidge asked as she bit into her own blue fruit, immediately determining she would fight Lance for the last one. After not really eating the night before, she was starving.

“Hopefully not for at least another week. I told him he needs to hang out with Shay while he's out that direction.”

“Hang out or make out?”

“Can’t it be both?” he grinned.

They munched on their breakfast contentedly for a few moments before Lance cleared his throat.

“So, did I do anything too crazy last night?” he said, trying to look casual.

“Well, let’s see. You congratulated Allura and Lotor on their hair,” Pidge said, counting out his adventures on her fingers.

“Uh huh.”

“And their height.”

“…uh huh.”

“And said something about how they shouldn’t use protection for the sake of the gene pool,” she said. She used the opportunity to snatch the last blue fruit while Lance was stunned.

His lips twitched. “Did they understand what I meant?”

“Allura might’ve, but I really don’t think Lotor did.”

Lance sighed in relief. “I’ll live to see another day. Probably.”

“You also told Keith he probably calls Shiro ‘Daddy’ a lot.”

Lance busted up at that. “HA! I bet he does!”

“And you told Coran that Sylvester was sorry he couldn’t make it.”

“Poor guy tried,” Lance shrugged. “The traffic from Italy to space is brutal.”

“And we fucked like crazy against a wall,” she concluded nonchalantly.

“Oh thank god I didn’t just imagine that. That was SO fucking incredible, just holy shit girl,” Lance said as he collapsed into the bed.

“You…thought you might have imagined that? I thought you were pretty lucid,” Pidge said uncertainly. Surely there hadn't been an issue of consent. He hadn't even seemed buzzed.

“Oh don’t worry,” he said, sitting up again, “I was totally sober at that point. I got drunk _because_ of that. It was just…out of this world crazy good so I had to double check that it actually happened. And, um, what I was actually worried about is if I said anything about it…or you…to anyone?” he finished hesitantly.

“You didn’t tattle on us if that’s what you mean.”

Lance shook his head. “No, I was…I got super jealous, I guess? It bothered me that other people could see you looking like that. I mean, it didn't _bother_ me—can’t blame ‘em: you looked hot as hell—but I felt like I needed to _claim_ you, you know? And the way we’d just fucked was…it was so damn incredible, Pidge. I got scared that people could tell, not that we’d had sex but just _tell_ how fucking sexy you are and that they’d take you away from me because there is no way in hell I am on your level.” He grinned weakly. “You're the only person in the Universe who doesn't know what a catch you are, girl. It kinda freaks me out that I got you. Still waiting for the other shoe to drop,” Lance said. He was trying to joke, but she could tell he was nervous.

“Lance McClain, you are an idiot,” she said with a very sweet smile. “You didn't get me. I got you. I knew what I wanted, and I reeled it in.” To be completely honest, she had needed every minuscule hint of encouragement he'd given her, but it was still true: she had totally bagged him.

He flopped onto of her. “Yup. Reeled in and mounted on the wall.”

“Oh my god,” she said as she wriggled her way out from under him, laughing. “You seriously just made a fishing pun about sex, didn't you?”

“I'm sorry, but I won't be taking any complaints from you, thank you very much. You saw what you wanted and took it, so it's all on you that you ended up with my puns,” he teased her affectionately.

They finished their breakfast with a light and comfortable chatter. Pidge couldn't help stealing a few glances at her goofy boyfriend. She loved him like this, laughing with her in their pajamas with his hair still sleep-tousled. She could tell he was still a little bothered by insecurities from the night before, but she had helped reassure him, and that was what mattered. They were getting better, a bit at a time. Closer. She smiled happily as they piled the remains of their breakfast on the tray.

            “Do you really think my dick is big?”

She started. “Eh? Where did that come from?”

“Last night, when we were, um, outside…you said my dick was big,” explained Lance. He was attempting to sound casual but was blushing furiously.

“Pfft!!” Pidge spurted a laugh.

“What? Why’s that funny?” He looked worried. “Was it just dirty talk?”

“Lance, I’m laughing because you’re adorable and it’s just so _you_ to think it was only dirty talk. You’re at least an inch past average. We can measure it sometime if that makes you feel better.” A thought popped up. “Lance, are you self conscious about your dick? You were masturbating that time to last longer and now this. Is there something I can do to reassure you that I like it?”

“I don’t know!” Lance ran his hand through is hair. He sighed. “I’m just insecure about everything. You’re funny and an actual genius and somehow both ridiculously cute _and_ sexy and I’m…I’m me.” He shrugged helplessly.

“Lance,” Pidge said softly. Her heart ached for him.

“You’re totally amazing, and you’re always trying to help me through my insecurities, and that is super incredible but somehow also makes me _more_ insecure, because you don't have anything like that I can help you with. I keep screwing up missions and hurting your feelings, and I need to be good at _something_ for you.”

            Pidge took his hands in hers and kissed his finger tips. “You _are_ good for me, Lance. You’re so good for me, baby,” she whispered. She cradled one of his hands to her cheek, kissed the palm and then pressed it gently back against her.

            Lance’s eyes were so sad Pidge could barely look at them. He leaned his head on her shoulder.

            “It’s okay to be insecure with me. It’s okay to tell me all of that. I’m you’re girlfriend—I’m the person it’s safe to tell,” she said, rubbing comforting circles on his back. And as she said it, she realized something—it was safe for her to tell Lance her insecurities, too. In fact, she was long overdue to come clean. She swallowed several times at the revelation and tried to form her thoughts into words, but before she could talk Lance spoke again.

            “Then can I ask you something?”

            “Of course.”

            Lance lifted his head again, this time his eyes less sad and more embarrassed. “How come you can just ask for anything you want with sex? You have less experience than me, but you’re so confident. Don’t get me wrong—it’s super hot, but it’s also…intimidating. Especially the first time. You were...wow.”

Now it was Pidge’s turn to be embarrassed. “Well, I guess I faked it? The confidence, I mean. I was pretty sure you wouldn’t say no, and…,” her voice dropped and she blushed hard. “I was really, really horny. I’ve wanted you for a long time.”

“See, it’s _crazy_ that you can even say that!” Lance cried, exasperated but amused. “Are you still that confident because you’re still that horny?”

“Yes…?” Pidge squeaked, still embarrassed. “And I know you like it when I boss you around, and um…you make me feel sexy, and that makes me confident, so...” She glanced up at him shyly and then hid her face in his chest. “I _like_ you, okay?! Maybe I should tell you that more. Do you not know how hot you are? Seriously. You’re insanely hot and I thought it would be weird to just state the obvious.” Lance wasn’t saying anything, so she glanced up. His expression was comically stunned.

“You…you think I’m _hot_???” He sputtered at last.

Pidge had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. “Yes. Ridiculously hot, if I’m being completely honest.”

Lance’s grin practically split his face. He made a sound of happy gibberish and Pidge couldn’t hold back her laugh. He hugged her.

“Pigeon, you’re the _best_!”

“Well, that was never up for debate,” she pointed out.

Lance laughed and hugged her tighter, and Pidge decided nothing suited him better than laughter. She loved the sound of it, and she loved him. It was time for honesty. Communication and trust run both ways. She gulped.

“S-so long as we're talking about insecurities...,” she began with a stutter. Lance looked at her curiously, but with patience. “I'm having a really, really hard time with you and Allura. And I know that's not fair of me because you obviously like me and Allura kinda-but-maybe-not has something going on with Lotor and it's not like you guys were a _thing_ , but... Yeah. I'm jealous and I'm trying really hard not to be, because I trust both of you, I'm just not secure yet and that's not your fault,” she said finished, chewing on her lip.

Lance smiled. “It's fine to be jealous, Pidge. I did like Allura for a long time. I like you way more than I ever liked her, though. Does that help?”

Pidge nodded hesitantly. “A little,” she said. “But I don't think I'm going to get over this as fast as I thought I would. Definitely not as fast as I _want_ to.”

Lance hugged her again. “That's fine, Pigeon. If I ever do anything that makes you feel insecure—even if you think it's just you being silly or over-reacting or whatever—just tell me. I'm a doofus, so I probably won't figure it out if you don’t.”

Pidge cuddled into the hug and pressed her head against his chest. “I don't want to be jealous. It's stupid.”

“It's hot.”

She pulled back. “ _What?_ Seriously?? How?”

Lance grinned, looking incredibly pleased. “It means you like me,” he teased. “You liiike me, you can't help it 'cause you liiike me,” he said in a sing-song voice. Pidge rolled her eyes at him.

“Sometimes I wonder why.”

“You have horrible taste in men. We've established this.”

Pidge laughed and hugged him tighter. Lance was such an adorable goofball and apparently that did it for her, because her heart felt full and bright.

Lance ruffled her hair. “Feeling better, Pigeon? Anything else I can help with?”

Pidge chewed her lip again. “Well...,” her voice trailed and Lance cocked his head, waiting to listen. “I've liked you for a long time—a lot longer than you've liked me—and... I'm scared to tell you how much I like you because I don't think it's the same for you.” She swallowed hard. Lance looked hurt. She hadn't said it to hurt him. That's part of why she _hadn't_ said it before. “It's not that I don't know you're serious about me. You told me you loved me, and I know you meant it. But, you only said it once, and you said it right after we had sex for the first time.” Lance had pulled back further to look at her better and she tightened her grip on his arms, as if afraid he would pull away completely. “I _know_ you love me, Lance. You show it all the time. And not just that you love me, but that you're _in_ love with me, but I'm still scared you won't _stay_ in love with me, and I,” her voice cracked. Her eyes were bright with tears and she watched as drops formed in Lance's eyes as well. His lip was trembling. She steadied herself with another breath. “I love you _so much_ , Lance. I'm sorry I never had the courage to say it before. But admitting to you that I love you...it's so terrifying because I can't help feeling one day you'll wake up and just want to be friends or sex buddies and that would destroy me.”

Lance leaned forward immediately and kissed her gently. “I'll do better,” he whispered.

            She ducked her head into his shoulder. “I didn't tell you so you'd do better. I told you because it's true.”

“I know,” he said quietly, rubbing her back soothingly.

“And you're not doing anything wrong! Me being insecure isn't your fault. We didn't start this coming from the same place. It's not like you need to be where I am now.   And you don't need to be or do any better than you already are. You're _Lance_ , and I love you. I've loved you for a long time and I'm loving you more every day, so...,” she kissed him. “You don't need to worry. You're definitely do something right.”

Lance kissed her back, pulling her flush against him and pouring as much feeling and passion into his lips as he could.   He pulled back to press his forehead against hers and caressed her cheek.

“I love you. You've totally wrecked me, Pidge. I didn’t say it again on purpose because I didn’t want to pressure you and I was pretty sure you were freaking out. Sorry, maybe I should have said it again anyway. And like I told you, you’re not the only who’s scared. Some days I'm terrified you’re going to just want to be friends, too, like you’ll realize how much better you could do, ‘cause liking me and dating me are two different things. Lots of girls have liked me, you know.”

“Show off,” she muttered.

“Sorry,” he said sheepishly, “but it _is_ true. My pickup lines might be stupid but they also work. But, most girls want Lance the Paladin and I’m just Lance who happens-to-be-a-Paladin.   So, yeah... I guess I sorta expect girls to stop liking me at some point? Am I even making sense?”

“You are,” she promised. “And Lance, you ARE Lance the Paladin. I mean, you're more than that, but you _are_ one of the Paladins of Voltron, and that's pretty damn awesome. You've got swagger.”

“Hell ya I do.”

“I regret everything I just said.”

“Tooo laaate,” he teased. “You think I’m cool.”

“Okay. Last confession,” she said. “I've been frustrated about how worried you are about me on missions. You used to see me as an equal, but now you treat me like I'm fragile. I get it. I freak out whenever you're in danger. But still... I'm always going to fight my hardest, Lance. And uh... I think just realized I haven't been treating you like an equal, either. I keep trying to help you with your insecurities but pressing my own down. If you promise to trust me a little bit more on missions, I promise to trust myself more with you, okay?” She held up a pinky shyly.

“Promise,” he agreed, entwining his pinky with hers.

They grinned stupidly at each for a moment before laughing. They were both dorks, and they knew it.

“Miss Pidge, I appreciate your candid frankness with me this morning and shall reciprocate in kind, if I may,” Lance said with a bow.

“Indeed you may, Master Lance,” Pidge replied. “Please reciprocate kindly.”

Lance inhaled deeply, held it, and then exhaled. “Never mind. Not brave enough,” he said with a surprising amount of dignity.

“So you were going to ask about sex, then?” Pidge teased with a coy smile. “Tell me: how would you like me to rock your world, Master Lance?”

He rubbed his hands together nervously and licked his lips. _Bulls-eye_ , she thought.   He swallowed hard several times.

Pidge couldn't help laughing. “Want me to guess? We can turn this into charades if you like.”

“Actually,” his voice squeaked, “I just want to...”

Pidge grinned. “Yes?” she purred. “You want to...?”

“Braid your hair?” he finished in a hitch-pitched rush.

Well. Not where she thought that was going. “Okay,” she nodded slowly. “Um, that's fine...?” She really didn't know where to go from here.

Lance's face glowed with excitement. “Really? It's okay? You don't mind??”

“Not gonna lie, if this is sexual I'm kinda weirded out, but whatever makes you happy,” Pidge said. “And if it's not sexual, then I'm really confused why you were so nervous to ask.”

“Okay, I am seriously concerned that you thought I meant it sexually,” Lance said, “and I was nervous 'cause I thought you'd make fun of me for it, but I really miss braiding hair and I think you'd look super cute with French braids.”

Pidge looked a bit baffled. “Why would I make fun of you for that?”

“You always make fun of me, Pidge,” Lance pointed out reasonably.

Pidge smirked. “You make it so easy, babe.   And I give you my full permission to braid my hair whenever your little heart desires. Unless it will make us late,” she added with a glance to a nearby clock, “because I think Allura may already be wanting to kill you for your gene pool comment, so we _really_ need to be on time today.” Lance's hands had already been reaching for hair and they retreated reluctantly.

“Tonight then?” he asked hopefully.

She kissed him on the forehead and promptly scooted off the bed to start getting dressed. “Tonight. And in the meantime, feel free to think of something sexual you're wanting to try. I know some toys I'd _love_ to use on you—or in you.” She grinned at the awkward squeak she heard Lance make.

She seriously loved that boy. Damned if she wasn't going to tell him, and damned if she wasn't going to make sure they always came back safely—so she could tell him again. And again.

 

 

~*~*~

 

 

In the end it was Lance who came up with the idea: robots. It was shocking and somehow annoying to Pidge, Matt, Hunk, and Coran that none of them had thought of it first. While playing Starblaster: Knights of the Gamma Lord, Lance had made a comment that remotely controlling his Gamma Lord's troops was sorta like using bots since he could view the field from any Fire Knight's point of view at any time and he could send in his stealth units in a timed pattern. “It's not realistic,” Lance had sighed. “No troops are _that_ precise. This game doesn't account for terrain changes! My Knight shouldn't be able to see through this hill, and my units would need to move faster due to slope! Exertion points spent per square doesn't make _sense_ like this,” he ranted.

“You read the reviews and bought the game anyway, dude,” Hunk said, completely unsympathetic.

“But the _graphics_ ,” Lance whined. “They're _so_ much better than Starblaster 2!” He turned around to call back over the couch. “Pidge! Can you make some new software so this game is harder?”

Pidge pushed up her glasses. “Are you bragging right now, Mr. McClain?” She walked over to stare at the screen. “What is it you want me to do, exactly?”

“Make my troops less like robots!”

Pidge looked at Lance, her face completely grave. “If you wish to remain my boyfriend, never again request I make something _less_ like a robot.”

Lance cowered slightly but grinned. “Okay, how about you make actual robots, and I'll play this game in the halls? Oh wait, that's brilliant! Pidge, make me some infiltrating robots so I can terrorize the Galra with my Fire Knight Quantum Ray! I just unlocked it.”

Pidge and Hunk stared at each other and then turned to Lance.

“You may be a genius.”

He grinned and finger-gunned. “You bet your sweet asses I am! But, uh, how exactly?”

And that was how the more tech-minded of the Castle's residents ended up constructing multiple kinds of small robots, each capable of being controlled from the relative safety of the cloaked Green Lion—close enough to be efficiently used (none of the bots could travel fast through space) without requiring the operator to be in unnecessary harm. Perfect.

Lance, as to be expected, was a fantastic Bot Master (a self-given title) and he utterly declined to be humble about it.

“What's it like dating a genius?” he crooned to Pidge at the end of a successful mission.

“You'll have to tell me,” she said mildly.

“You are so cold to me, Pigeon,” he huffed with mock pain.

“Mm, but you love it,” she replied.

“I love _you_ ,” he countered.

Pidge laughed and kissed him. “I love you, too, Lance McClain.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, everyone, for reading this. You do my heart good. <3 This one was waaaay harder to write than the first one 'cause Lance's dialogue is easier for me and because the plot was much more straightforward. Here's hoping it was still fun for you guys. ^_^ 
> 
> Am I forgetting something about the show that explains why Pidge hasn't made a robot army yet? Because I feel like she would've made a robot army. Stealth bots, hacking bots, fighter bots... all the bots. 
> 
> Lotor finally showed up! Only briefly though, 'cause I have no idea how he will interact with characters in the show, so...gotta keep it brief and vague. I want to pretend this is somewhat canon for as long as possible. *^* That's also why we haven't seen Pidge and Matt's dad. Part of me is expecting him to die. Because we can't have nice things, that's why. 
> 
> Part three of this series is done already 'cause it is just some shameless smut. Part four is going to be a collection of fluff drabbles (cute stuff I thought of but couldn't fit in) and part five is going to be mean as frick. Look forward to it! XD

**Author's Note:**

> It's way harder to for me to write from Pidge's POV for some reason. I dunno. 
> 
> Part 2 coming very soon~~


End file.
